(08-Dec) -- The American high school cross country
season came to an end earlier today at the Foot Locker
Cross Country Championships in San Diego, Calif., where
Edward Cheserek successfully defended his national title
and Anna Roher won her first championship after breaking
from the field late in their respective races.

The Boy's Championship race began as a pack affair with nearly
all of the 40 qualified athletes together through 800 meters.
With many pre-race favorites playing it safe through the early
going, Cheserek was content tucking in behind the leaders as
they approached the first mile.

Battling up the largest hill of the 5-kilometer course for the first time, Virginia's Sean McGorty picked
the pace up, creating a lead group of four. Responding to McGorty's move was Cheserek, who trailed by
less than a meter -- just what the leader wanted.

"Knowing Edward has a great kick, I sort of wanted to do the best I could to take it out of him," McGorty
told Deena Kastor in an interview following the race's webcast.

Nearing halfway, McGorty, whose mother ran at the Foot Locker National Championships, still maintained a
one-meter edge on Cheserek, with Leingang and Wharton holding onto the Kenyan's coat tails.

Still intact at two miles --hit in 9:45-- the pack was well ahead of the rest of the field. Ascending the
large hill for the second and final time, McGorty led the group of four.

But going downhill was another story, as Cheserek took the lead for the first time. Trying to break
McGorty and Leingang, Cheserek injected a burst of speed, causing Wharton to fade from the pack. Barely
holding on was Leingang.

"I tried to stay with them and work up the hill, but the downhill is what killed my legs," said Leingang,
who is from North Dakota.

Passing three miles in 14:30, Cheserek again used his 1:48 800-meter speed, ultimately separating from
the chasing McGorty.

"I wanted to stay back with these guys and at the last minute kick because that was my strategy," said
Cheserek.

Hands above his head, Cheserek broke the tape in 14:57.3, becoming only the fourth repeat champion in
Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships history. He broke 15 minutes both times on the storied
Balboa Park course.

"Right now I feel good," said the quiet champion, who joins Abdirizak Mohamud, Dathan Ritzenhein, and
Lukas Verzbicas in the two-time winners club.

In second came McGorty, who was still pleased with his effort.

"I gave it my all trying to beat him, but he's a great athlete and he deserves this national
championship," said the Stanford-bound McGorty.

Leingang rounded out the top three, a significant improvement from his 59th place showing at last week's
muddy Nike Cross Nationals meet.

ROHER GETS FIRST TITLE

To begin the Girl's Championship race, California's Marissa Williams took the pace out ferociously, just
as she did a week ago at the Foot Locker West Regional. Hitting the 400 meter mark in an unofficial 66
seconds according to the web stream announcers, Williams was nearly ten meters up on the field.

The quick pace soon caught up to the sophomore, who would end up finishing eighth. Caught by a slew of
Midwest athletes clad in their gold vests, Williams and the lead pack passed the mile in 5:18. In gold
were Maria Hauger, Jordyn Colter, and Taylor Werner.

Missing briefly from the lead pack was Midwest Regional champion Anna Roher, a sophomore from Mishawaka,
Ind., Roher had been tripped within the first 400 meters of the race, falling to the ground and scuffing
her knee. Despite the spill, she remained calm.

"I got right back up and I knew the race wasn't over," Roher said minutes after the race. "I just got up
and made sure to keep a level head."

Rejoining her Midwest teammates at the front, Roher looked poised through two miles, passed in 11:10.
That's when she knew it was time to go, pulling ahead of the field.

Despite Hauger and Colter's efforts to gain ground in the final 400 meters, it was all Roher. Sprinting
around the final bend, Roher was all alone in front. Breaking the tape in 17:24.8, Roher became the first
sophomore since Kathy Kroeger in 2006 to win the Foot Locker National Championship.

Roher said running alongside her Midwest teammates helped her immensely during the race.

"It was fantastic, really comforting," she said. "It was great to be racing with people that I am really
good friends with."

An added edge for Roher was her toughness, brought out in a temporary tattoo resembling barbed wire on
her left upper arm.

"It's just something fun that my team did a couple times [during the season]," Roher said with a laugh.
"It makes you feel a little tougher I guess."

Behind Roher, Massachusetts's Catarina Rocha finished with a hard charge to catch both Hauger and Cloter
in the final meters before the line. Rocha, who is from Peabody, Mass., is coached by her father Joe,
also a Foot Locker Cross Country Championship alum.

"I just tried to stay with them," said Rocha. "The last 200 [meters] I just kinda felt good and started
kicking to hopefully catch them and I did."

Rocha's time of 17:29.0 was just two-tenths of a second ahead of Hauger (17:29.2) and a half second up
on Colter (17:29.5). Rounding out the top five was Karis Jochen of College Station, Texas.